How to make a photo book

A real, physical printed photo book can be a beautiful, personalized special gift for a friend or family member — though it can also be a special way to hold onto memories for yourself. All you need is a digital camera, a little bit of imagination and time to devote to its creation.

Step 1: Figure out what you want the book to be

Decide on what your book aims to accomplish. The beauty of this type of project is the finished product is a complete reflection of your creativity. You shoot and select all the photographs. You write all the text and captions. You decide on the style, colors, theme, layout and overall design of the book — see some examples to the right here.

Step 2: Decide who it’s for

Is this a one-shot book, or are you making 20 copies for a family reunion? Answers to these questions will affect both what you put in the book, and how much you’ll be paying. (Note that there are usually tiered discounts available for bulk purchases.)

Step 4: Organize your photos

Decide what pictures you need. Perhaps you want to go with putting them all in chronological order, or maybe by section for each person featured — or what about before and after shots? Now’s the time to choose.

Step 5: Put it into words

Once you know what pictures you will be using, draft how you would like the photo captions and text to read. Also decide on a title and any byline/dedication information to include.

Step 6: Pick a publisher

Step 7: Create your photobook

Follow the publisher’s step-by-step directions for creating your book. It’s usually as easy as dragging and dropping images into the layout and typing in your text.

Step 8: Proofread

Have someone else proofread your text for typos, grammar goofs and spelling errors. (It’s always easier for others to find our mistakes.) A special book like this is likely to be shared and kept for decades, so it would be nice if your great-great-great grandchildren don’t ever wonder why granny didn’t know the difference between their and they’re.

Step 9: Take one last look

Flip through all the pages and make sure your book looks and reads exactly the way you want. With most all of these book publishers, changes after ordering can only be made for the price of a new book.

Step 10: Check out

Finalize your transaction, and be sure to use any coupons you’ve found.

Step 11: Wait for your book to arrive

This is the hardest part. Waiting for your book to come in the mail can feel like an eternity, but the wait really won’t be too long — and it will be worth it. In fact, once you see how easy and cool it is to create a photo book, you’ll probably be looking for excuses to create more!